Welcome! Amish Celebrations by Beth Wiseman will be released on July 10 along with A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo and Disorderly Conduct by Mary Feliz. Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber will be out on July 17.
Bear Witness to Murder by Meg Macy is the second book in A Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery series. Sasha Silverman manages her
family’s Silver Bear Shop & Factory.
Silver Hollow is kicking off their Octobear Fest with the Cranbeary Tea
Party hosted by the Silver Bear Shop at the new Queen Bess Tea Room. Sasha is surprised that Holly Parker (her old
high school nemesis) is attending the event with her shop assistant and
publicity guru, Gina Lawson. Holly has
opened Through the Looking Glass which sells Alice in Wonderland themed items
along with teddy bears and storybooks. For
the Octobear Fest Bears on Parade event, Maddie is creating an adorable Polka Bear
and is assisting her new boyfriend, Kip O’Sullivan with his Hippie Bear. Kip keeps trying to perfect his creation and
he might not get it completed on time (Maddie has her hands full with this one). Sasha is out walking Rosie early the next morning
and stumbles across an individual with a knife sticking out of their back in
the alley behind Fresh Grounds. At first
Sasha believes it is Holly because of the jacket. The victim is later identified as Gina Lawson. When Mayor Cal Bloom on the suspect list, Judith
Silverman wants Sasha to clear his name.
The suspect list is lengthy due to Gina’s attitude and it includes Sasha’s
ex-husband, Flynn Hanson. Can Sasha
identify the killer before she becomes the next victim?
I thought Bear Witness to Murder
was well-written and engaging. It has a
steady pace and a conversational writing style which made the story easy to
read. While this is the second tale in
the series, it can be read alone. I like
the Silverman family, though, I am puzzled by Sasha’s mother, Judith. I do not understand why she keeps trying to
push Sasha and Flynn back together and it was never explained. Sasha is lucky to have escaped the cheating
louse. She is fortunate to have a supportive
father and sister. I enjoyed the humor
provided by Eve and Ross. There are delightful
descriptions of teddy bears (stuffed and resin) in Bear Witness to Murder along
with teddy bear related facts. I thought
it was clever to have Oktobear Fest (a great play on words). Silver Hollow would attract families with
their theme. Silver Hollow is a charming
small town with, for the most part, friendly residents and cute shops. Gossip spreads like wild fire in Silver Hollow
which is helpful in gathering information on the suspects. The mystery was well-crafted and I believe
many readers will be surprised by the killer’s identity. There are several suspects, red herrings, and
well placed clues. While Sasha looks
into the murder, she does not let it consume her like some amateur sleuths. There is some romance sprinkled through the
story as Sasha gets to know Jay Kirby. I found Bear Witness to Murder more enjoyable than
Bearly Departed (first book in the series).
My rating for Bear Witness to Murder is 4 out of 5 stars (I liked
it). Join in on the Oktobear Fest festivities
in Bear Witness to Murder.
Thank you for visiting today. I will feature Plain Everyday Heroes by Rachel Good, Laura Hilton and Thomas Nye tomorrow. I hope you have an enlightening day. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
Thanks for a wonderful review!!
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